In response to the Alabama state senate failing to pass a bill which would permit yoga asana to be taught in public schools in the state, HAF Managing Director Sheetal Shah offered the following statement:
“We’re disappointed that Alabama’s legislators have failed to overturn a decades-old ban on teaching yoga asana in Alabama public schools. While broadly speaking yoga is solidly rooted in Hinduism, the parameters of the bill as written would have permitted the physical components of yoga to be taught. Physical postures alone do not constitute yoga. Had the bill passed students would have been able to avail themselves of the myriad physical and mental health benefits that regularly practicing yoga asana provides, while still not run afoul of prohibitions against teaching religion in US schools. Alabama’s fear of ‘Eastern spirituality’ runs counter to providing students with a healthy and proven method of coping with stress and anxiety.”
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HAF’s stance on teaching yoga in public schools
Alabama lifts ban on yoga in schools. Sort of.
